10 December 1941: At 0200, the transports land troops at Pandan, near
Vigan, but are bombed and strafed by five U. S. Army Far East Air Force Boeing
B-17 "Flying Fortress" heavy bombers and escorting Seversky P-35A "Guardsman"
and Curtiss P-40B "Kittyhawk" fighters. During the action, Captain Samuel H.
Marrett, CO of the 34th Fighter Squadron, makes repeated strafing passes on W-10
with his P-35 until the minesweeper blows up. The force of the explosion tears a
wing off Marret's P-35 and he crashes into the sea. W-10 sinks at 17-32N,
120-22E. OIGAWA MARU and TAKAO MARU are so damaged they have to be beached to
facilitate salvage. Light cruiser NAKA and destroyer MURASAME are slightly
damaged by strafing.

December 1941-1942: OIGAWA MARU is refloated and repaired for an
unknown period of time at an unknown location.

13 June 1942: Arrives at Palau. It was planned that the convoy would
proceed from Palau to Rabaul to participate in the invasion of New Caledonia in
July, but the action at Coral Sea and the disaster at Midway leads to a
postponement and later cancellation of Operation FS.

5 January 1943: Parts A and B arrive at Mako, Pescadores. The old
China Area Fleet destroyers are detached and replaced by the Southwest Area
Fleet’s destroyers HOKAZE and NAGATSUKI to escort the convoy to longitude 136E.
The escort is further augmented by destroyer SHIRAYUKI, subchasers CH-2 and
CH-11 and auxiliary gunboat CHOAN MARU No. 2.

15 January 1943: Part A departs Truk for the Shortland Islands
anchorage. The escort is further augmented by destroyer SHIGURE.

17 January 1943: Part B departs Truk for Buin, Bougainville.

19 January 1943: Part C departs Truk. NNE of Buin, Bougainville,
LtCdr Jack H. Lewis’ USS SWORDFISH (SS-193) attacks Part A of the convoy.
SWORDFISH sinks MYOHO MARU at 05-38S, 156-20E. Of the 922 IJA troops and 35 Navy
passengers she was carrying, 61 military and three crewmen are KIA.

21 January 1943: At about 1800, LtCdr Robert J. Foley’s USS GATO
(SS-212) attacks Part B of the convoy. GATO torpedoes and sinks KENKON MARU
carrying a battalion of 734 men of the IJA 45th Infantry Regiment, 6th Division.
The attack causes a fire and a magazine explosion. 36 troops, an unknown number
of other passengers and seven crew are KIA. Destroyer SHIRAYUKI rescues
survivors.

At 2330, the convoy departs the assembly point escorted by Rear Admiral
Kimura Masatomi’s destroyers SHIRAYUKI (F), ASAHIO, ARASHIO, TOKITSUKAZE,
URANAMI, SHIKINAMI, YUKIKAZE and ASAGUMO and sets course along the northern
coast of New Britain, NW from Rabaul before turning west and then south. The
transports and destroyers are carrying 6,004 troops of the IJA’s 51st Division
and 600 Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) troops.

2 March 1943: Battle of the Bismarck Sea: 55 km NNW of Cape
Gloucester, New Britain. At 0800, USAAF and RAAF planes bomb the convoy. USAAF
B-17 "Flying Fortress" heavy bombers attack Army cargo ship KYOKUSEI MARU. She
takes two direct bomb hits and sinks at 0926 at 05-02S, 148-14E. 485 troops of
the 115th Infantry Regiment, 51st Division and one crewman are KIA. Infantry
guns and mortars, trucks, landing craft, 2,000m3 of ammunition and fuel drums
are also lost.

Destroyers YUKIKAZE and ASAGUMO rescue 800 men and 110 drums, steam to
Lae and disembark them, then rejoin the convoy. TEIYO MARU is lightly damaged by
air attack NE of Cape Gloucester.

3 March 1943: Dampier Straits. The battle continues as Allied aircraft make low-level
bombing and strafing runs against the convoy. Rear Admiral Kimura is wounded. During the fighting,
cargo ships AIYO, KENBU, SHINAI, TAIMEI and TEIYO MARUs are sunk as are destroyers ARASHIO,
ASAHIO, TOKITSUKAZE and flagship SHIRAYUKI. ASAGUMO, SHIKINAMI, URANAMI and
YUKIKAZE pick up survivors and retire to Rabaul accompanied by destroyer HATSUYUKI which came
from Rabaul to assist. OIGAWA MARU is damaged and abandoned.

Huon Gulf. 62 miles SE of Finschhafen. That night, a force of U.S. Navy
motor torpedo (PT) boats under Lt Cdr Barry Atkins sets out to attack the
convoy. Two boats strike submerged debris and are forced to return. At 2310,
PT-143 and PT-150 spot a fire and find OIGAWA MARU dead in the water with a
large fire burning in the forward cargo hold and a small fire aft. From 800
yards, PT-143 fires a torpedo that hits the stern. OIGAWA MARU lists to port and settles.
Five minutes later, PT-150 fires a second torpedo from 700 yards that hits amidships. OIGAWA MARU sinks stern first at 06-58S, 148-16E. 1,151 troops of the IJA 51st Division and 78 crewmen are KIA.